Oink

I the US yes, I doubt it'll happen here.

The problem is, the BCTF are operating with a 20th century mentality in a 21st century reality.

BristolUK

Well there's the age old difficulty. Take part in the vote but having no intention of paying any attention to the result if it doesn't go your way.

Yep. It seems they have 'right' on their side judging by the earlier posts, but obviously in this day and age 'might' counts for more.

ExKiwilass

this is a huge issue. I'm not one to sit by quietly, and I'm saying my bit on FB (where I have teacher friends) as Oink can attest. But a LOT of parents are honestly too scared to speak up because they fear repercussions. However, i think the tide may be starting to turn. When you look at the actual support for teachers in terms of $$ and FB teacher supporting groups, it's not there. A website set up for parents to fund striking teachers has only got just over6 grand in a week. That's pretty pathetic when you consider how many parents there are and school kids.

I also agree with RP that this strike has become very polarized. I'm still talking to my pro-BCTF friends...just..but I see people are becoming more entrenched in their positions as this continues. I myself am so angry. I can see there are going to be some serious maybe it's time to ditch public school discussions over the next few months.

Oakvillian

There speaks a former public-sector employee

What is "right" in this situation? I don't believe either side has "right" on their side. A court decision is awaiting the appeal judgement of a higher court. The fact that that higher court appears just as likely as the lower courts to find in favour of the teachers doesn't mean they should just pick up their ball and leave the game before the decision is taken. The employers, so far as I can tell, have said more or less "keep the current system in place until a final court decision, at which point that decision becomes part of the settlement." IMHO, "right" would be served by educating the children of British Columbia, not by picketing schools over hypothetical outcomes of yet-to-be-heard court cases.


Bear in mind, too, that the employers were involved neither in the original bargain struck between the BCTF and the provincial government, nor in the subsequent legislation to overturn that bargain, nor in the legal challenge to that legislative decision. The BCTF would appear to have lost any claim to the moral high ground when they did an end-run around the employers in the first place. As I said up-thread, they were prepared to play politics when it suited them, and now they've had their come-uppance and are crying foul. No sympathy for the BCTF from this quarter.

BristolUK

Yep. Been on the end of many broken agreements.

Does this mean that in the event of agreement between union and employer - in any dispute - a change of union leadership means an agreement could be torn up?

Novocastrian

Well said. Moreover I think Oakvillian makes too much of the distinction between the Government and the employer. The employer's budget is set by the government, as are the policies they are instructed to adopt.

I'd also add that the "accusation" of applying 20th century values in the 21st century is frankly baffling. Organized labour in all sectors has been royally screwed over for quite a while now. Who can blame them/us for trying to right these abuses?

rivingtonpike

Not really sure how demanding massages as part of the settlement is righting any abuses - alleged or otherwise.

scrubbedexpat091

I can't agree with teachers and most other public sector employees being royally screwed, most seem to make a pretty good wage and benefits compared to their counterparts in the private sector.

May not be as good as the past, but times change, but public sector employees are hardly abused, they have it pretty cushy as far as I am concerned.

Alan2005

Maybe if teachers weren't so annoyingly righteous I'd have more sympathy. But as they are, **** em.

Oink

If they weren't so annoyingly disingenuous and just told the truth, that they want more money and power, I might have some sympathy for their position.

Novocastrian

Oh, go back to reading the Daily Mail

Novocastrian

I didn't say they were (although they were). I said Organized Labour. Those in the public sector have been so royally screwed as to be almost non-existent in North America.

This, IMHO, is not a good thing.

Novocastrian

Ha, bloody ha.

Oakvillian

I don't think he does, not in this case. It is the agreement on class composition etc that was settled directly between the union and the government, at a political rather than an administrative level, that set up everything that has happened since including the current dispute. If the union hadn't tried to pull a fast one back then, the Libs wouldn't have been able to overturn legislation (because there wouldn't have been any such legislation to overturn) and BC wouldn't have ended up in this sorry mess.

For sure, the employer's budget is set by the government, but it was an almost unique circumstance, I would think, for the administrative agency to have been undermined by the politicians in direct labour negotiations in this way. The function of the government should be to set policy and provide stable funding, not to get involved in direct negotiations with collective bargaining agencies.

I suppose if one doesn't want to blame the BCTF one could blame the provincial NDP, that would be a safe call.

rivingtonpike

Send me one and I'll give it a go. Let it never be said I'm not open minded.